Food conveyer



May 25 1926.

FOOD CONVEYER Filed Jan. 17, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 30 5/ 29 FIGJ.

32 25 '33 32 1 $1 4 & 33 34d 5 E O O 0 0 I m' I ims abtoz nu:

May 25 1926.

c. M. DRINKWATER FOOD CONVEYER Filed Jan. 17, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 5.

llllllllllllllllllll May 25 1926. 1,585,834

C. M. DRINKWATER FOOD CONVEYER Filed Jan. 17, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet s Patented May 25, 1926.

UNITED STATES CHARLES M. DRINKWATER OF PELHAM, NEW YORK.

FOOD CONVEYER.

Application filed January 17, 1924. Serial No. 686,885.

This invention relates to improvements in vehicles, and more particularly to a novel food conveyor.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a wheel supported food conveyer having one or more insulated wells adapted to receive food and to maintain the food in heated or cooled condition for a considerable length of time, so that the conveyer may be used to transport food from the kitchen or the like to a dining room and will maintain the food in proper condition until the same is served to the user.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a cover or covers for the well or wells which may be swung outwardly and form a serving table when it is desired to serve food from the wells.

Another object of the invention is to provide brackets which function as supports for handles to be used by the operator in pushing or pulling the conveyer from place to place and which also functions as supporting members for the covers when the covers are swung outwardly to provide serving tables or platforms,

Another object of the invention is to provide a bracket which forms a handle support, a cover support and a hinge element,

A further object of the invention is to -provide wells constructed to facilitate the withdrawal of food containers by the operator and for this purpose each well has its upper end flared so as to permit the operator to grasp the upper end of the container and withdraw the same from the well.

A still further object is to furnish a well having an internal shoulder adapted to receive a pot ring or the like, so that vessels or food containers of various sizes may be supported within the well by the pot ring.

With the foregoing objects outlined and with other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the inven tion consists in the novel features hereinafter described in detail, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side view of the improved oonveyer with one of the covers or lid sections opened or swung outwardly to form a serving platform.

Fig. 2 is a top lan view of the same.-

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view of a portion of one of the wells and illustrating the manner in which the metal sections forming the wall of the same are connected together.

Fig. 4 is a detail view partly in section illustrating one of the wells and one of the handle brackets.

F ig, 5 is a detail perspective view of one end portion of the conveyor and illustrating clearly the manner in which one of the lid sections forms a serving platform,

Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of one end of one of the covers.

Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional View of one of the wells provided with a 01'. ring sup porting a food container of re at-ively small size.

Fig. 8 is a detail view of a modified form of bracket, which it will be noted is secured to the body of the conveyer instead of to the cover.

In the drawings, 1 designates a body or frame mounted on supporting wheels 2 and 3, the latterbeing connected to forks 4 swiveled in bearings 5. The body or frame 1 has three shelves 6, 7 and 8, the shelf 6 being open all around and being adapted to support food trays, napkins, cutlery and the like. The shelf 7 is enclosed and has a hinged cover or door 9. This forms a compartment to receive the dishes.

The shelf 8 forms the bottom of an insulated well compartment 10. This compartment as best shown in Fig. 4 is formed of some suitable insulating material and contains a number of wells 11. Each well preferably has a lining of metal 12 and as shown in Fig. 3, the upper end of this lining is bulged outwardly at 13 to form an annular outwardly extending bead, and immediately above this bulged portion, the upper end of the lining is bent sharply outwardly to form a shoulder or flange 14. The upper surface of the well is formed by a sheet metal plate 15, which is depressed at spaced points to form downwardly extending conical portions 16, each merging at its lower end into a cylindrical portlon 17. This cylindrical portion in turn merges into a horizontal shoulder 18 which is integral with a depending cylindrical portion 19, the lower edge of which is pressed outwardly at 20 to lock against the inner surface of the head 13. Owing to this construction the sheet metal lining or surfacing material will be securely locked in position and will will be observed in tl iscase also that each have a minimum number of seams, Where by the deyice may be maintained in 'sani tary condltlon. Each well is' 'adapted to receive a food container or vessel 21, and

the upper end of this-food container will project above the shoulder l8, and the conical portion 16 will form a flared mouth so" that *the operator, may insert his fingers in;..the space 22 for. the purpose of lifting a1ifood container;from the-wells: 1i 1 It willbe observed from Figs. 2 and 5 that each conveyer preferably; hasa number of wells 11 and some of these wells may receive vessels containing heated foods while others; may receive receptacles containing'cold foods,\and the wells being insulated from each otherwill maintain these foods in their heated or cooled state tor a considerable period of-time y a The mouths ofthe wells may be closed by covers 23,, each of which, preferably consists of a body of, insulating material 24 enclosed within a sheet metal shell As shown in Figs.-,l, -2,tend 5, eaelncover is provided with a pluralityof angular brackets 26 connected by-screws 27 to plates 28 embedded in the covers, Each brackethas an outwardly;extending-arm 29 terminating in a ringBO to receive a handle bar 31. vEach bracket also has eyes 32 to receive a hinge pintle- 33, which connects the bracket to ahinge member 34 secured by screws 35 to a supporting plate 36. The supporting plate is connected to the well compartment by one or more bolts 37.

Viththis construction, when the covers are, closed, the handle bars 31 will he arranged above the covers and the operator may use these handle bars in pushing or pullingthe con\'e 'er from place to place. \Vhen, however, either cover is swung nus, wardly about the hinge pintles .3 i501 the brackets connected to the cover will more with the latter and form a support, so that the lower, surface of the cover will now formtheupper surface of a platform or serving table 38. a

From Figs. 1, 2 and 6, it may be seen that the end of one cover is provided with an outwardly extending flange 40 which is adapted to clamp over the end of the other cover when the covers are in closed position, and due tothis construction a single latch element 41 may be employed to main tain both covers in closed position.

Instead of connecting the brackets to the covers, each bracket may be secured to the ends of the framel as shown in Fig. 8, and in this construction each bracketconsists of a vertical member 50 carrying an outwardly extending arm -51 adapted to support the handle bar 52. In this case the upper end of the bracket has eyes 53 to re-t ceive the hinge pintles 54: of the cover. It

bracketi form; bar

cover' siipport and a hinge element.

1 Referrin'gtd'FigQ 7,it may be seen that each well is constructed to receive vessels 'otrarious sizes, and for this purpose pot rings having apertures l, are provided.

Each pot ring will be of the same diameter,

thatis oftherproprer. Cllfllllttttl lf tOIIEQfibJOIl tures in the pot rings may be ot yarying sizes, to I receive different siz ed \'es sels 21; In use, the conveyer in ;the kitchen is loaded with the different foods to be served and the coyers E23 areqthen swung into the shoulder 518 of the well but tli ef,ap er;

support, a

closed positionand secured by thepatch 41.,

Then theoperator graspsone or thegolheri' ot the handle bars 31 and inoyes ithe comi \eyer to thepiace where thelood to beg served. iVhen the latterv place is reached; one or both covers 23 is or ast ingent-z wardly and the dishes in which tl e'food} is placed may rest on the coi' erstwhile the operator is dispensing. the food from the; containers or receptacles 21;;v v q i While I have disclosed in they foregoing? the preferable construction of my inven-f tioii, it is obvious that various changes may? be made in the details withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention asexpress dg' in the claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Let .ters Patentis:

l. In a food conveyor, mentinen'iber, a cover member for the welt comparti'nent and a bracket connected to one; of said members and forming a support adai'ited to hold the cover in horizontal po-j sition, said hrachet being also provided with a hinge element for the cover and a handle;

ha r supporting element.

In a food com-'eyer, a frame member, a well compartment connected to the frame member, a cover member for the well compartn'ient, brackets connected to one of said members and forming hinge elements, other hi nge elements connected to the other mess. her and pivotally connected to the hinge elements ofitiie brackets, and a. handle bar carried by said, brackets, said brackets being arranged to support the cover member in inverted horizontal position when the cover member is opened. i a 1 3. YA food conveyer including a well liar-g ing a lining provided at its upper end por-i tion with an outwardly extending annular bead and a shoulder abovethebead, a'isecond lining having-a flared mouth, and haw ing its lower end formed as an annular shouldered hook engaging the inner surface of said head.

4. In a food conveyer, a wheeled frame, an. insulated casing mounted upon the wheeled frame and having a plurality of wells, a plair of covers hinged at their outer ends to t e casing and adapted when in the a well compart closed position to extend across said wells, a flange secured to the free end of one cover and adapted to extend over the free end of the other cover, a latch connected with the casin and adapted to lock the cover with the flange in the closed position, pairs of brackets secured to the covers near their hinges and extending above the same, said brackets being adapted to engage with the outer wall of the wheeled frame when the covers are shifted to an outer substantially horizontal position and supporting the same in this position, and handle bars extending between the pairs of brackets and attached thereto, said handle bars being arranged above the casing when the covers are closed whereby they may be employed in effecting thelongitudinal travel of the wheeled frame.

5. A food conveyer comprising a wheeled frame, an insulated easing mounted thereon and having a plurality of wells, covers hinged at their outer ends to the frame and adapted to extend across the wells when in the closed position, pairs of brackets rigidly attached to the covers and extending outwardly therefrom, said brackets being adapted to contact with the wheeled frame when the covers are shifted to the outer horizontal position" for supporting them in this position, and handle bars extending between the pairs of brackets and attached thereto, said handle bars being positioned above the frame when the covers are closed and hence may be conveniently employed in effecting the travel of the wheeled frame.

6. A food conveyer comprising, a wheeled frame, an insulated casing carried thereby and having a plurality of wells, covers hinged at their outer ends with the wheeled frame and adapted to be shifted to an inner position extending over said wells and to be shifted to outersubstantially horizontal positions to serve as tables, rackets associatcd with the covers and serving to limit their outer movement and to support the same in the substantially horizontal position, and handle bars extending between the brackets and attached to their outer ends, said handle bars being adapted to be convcnicntly employed in effecting the travel of the wheeled frame.

7. In a. food conveyer, a Well compartment member, a cover member for the well compartment, and a bracket connected to one of said members and forming a support adapted to hold the cover in horizontal position, said bracket being also provided with a hinge element for the cover.

8. A food conveyer comprising, a wheeled frame, an insulated casing member carried thereby and having a plurality of Wells, cover members hinged at their outer ends to the casing member and adapted to be shifted to an inner position extending over said wells and to be shifted to outer horizontal positions to serve as tables, and brackets fixed on one of said members and serving to limit the outer movement of one of the cover members and to support the same in horizontal position.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

CHARLES M. DRINKWVATER. 

